Researchers at the centre – based at Liverpool John Moores University – found there were 3114.3 admissions “relating” to alcohol per 100,000 city residents in 2009/10, compared to the England low of 849.5 in the Isle of Wight.

The city came top of the chart last year as well, but figures have increased from 2,860 per 100,000 people in 2008/9.

The city has featured in the worst areas for alcohol abuse for several years. The numbers include people coming to A&E drunk and injured.

The study, called Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE 2011), also showed Liverpool topped several other categories, including people admitted to hospital due to conditions “only” caused by alcohol, such as liver disease.

This rate stood at 1082.4 per 100,000 for men in 2009/10 and 517.4 for women, both the highest in England.

This is also an increase on last year when the figures stood at 1046 and 465 respectively.

The picture is also grim for the region’s children – admissions of under 18-year-olds are the third highest in the country, at 147.8 per 100,000 people.

Alcohol expert Prof Gilmore, who also chairs the UK Health Alliance, has campaigned for minimum pricing legislation on alcohol.
He said: “I am shocked by how high the admissions are in Liverpool.

“Compared to 20 years ago the difference is very noticeable.

“It used to be just middle aged and elderly males who would come in with advanced liver disease, but it is now both sexes and often people in their 20s.

“As a nation we can’t afford this increasing burden that affects everyone in our society.

“The availability of alcohol, the low price, and the marketing are the drivers of how much we are drinking as a nation.

Some of Knowsley’s rates were among the worst in country, with 2801.8 admissions per 100,000 for alcohol related illness.

And Wirral’s under 18 admissions stood at 136.7 per 100,000, the fourth worst rate in England.

Other categories included alcohol related crime, with most Merseyside boroughs not scoring as badly as in other areas.

Liverpool was close to the national average on this point.

Dr Paula Grey, director of public health for Liverpool, said: “Reducing the harm caused by alcohol misuse is a key priority. “Earlier this year we launched the latest Liverpool Alcohol Strategy, which sets out a three-year approach to tackling this problem.

“A key part of the strategy is the recently launched Community Alcohol Service, run by Aintree University Hospitals and Mersey Care NHS Trust.

“We need to find ways of giving people the support that is most appropriate to their needs.”

Professor Mark Bellis, director of North West Public Health Observatory, added: “The scale of damage revealed by these profiles shows that alcohol is a problem for everyone in England.

“Even those families not directly affected by alcohol related health problems, violence or abuse, still pay towards the billions in taxes for the policing, health services and social support required to tackle this national problem.

“Cheap alcohol is no longer a commodity that this country can afford.”Alcohol report – Merseyside Regions